A look at the greening of the U.S. economy will be the topic of the Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner.

Van Jones, advocate of green jobs and former advisor to the White House, will presentReBuild the Dream at 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, in the Brown Ballroom of the Bone Student Center.

Reservations are required. Seats are $15 for students and $35 for nonstudents. Cocktails will be at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. A cash bar will be available. Reservations can be made by calling (309) 438-8790.

The event, which is part of the 2012 Speaker Series, is sponsored by Office of the President and the Illinois State University NAACP Student Chapter.

A Yale-educated attorney, Jones has written two New York Times bestselling books – The Green Collar Economy, the definitive book on green jobs, and ReBuild the Dream, a roadmap for progressives in 2012 and beyond. He is the founder and president of ReBuild the Dream, a platform for bottom-up, people-powered innovations to help fix the U.S. economy.

Jones has a 20-year track record as a successful, innovative and award-winning social entrepreneur. He is the cofounder of three other thriving nonprofit organizations: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and Green For All.

A former advisor to the White House and President Barack Obama, Jones helped run the interagency process that oversaw $80 billion in green energy recovery spending.

The Speaker Series of Illinois State University seeks to bring innovative and enlightening speakers to the campus with the aim of providing the community with a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process.

If you need special accommodations to fully participate in these programs/events, please contact Julie Barnhill, Presidential and Trustee Events, at (309) 438-8790. Please allow sufficient time to arrange accommodations.